There are many uses for outdoor lighting systems. Many people find it desirable to have outdoor lights around their house. These lights add aesthetics to the house, provide an element of security by illuminating dark areas, and often increase the value of house and property. Parks and other public areas also benefit from the use of outdoor lights.
One limitation on the use of outdoor lights, however, is a mechanism for turning them on and off. It is usually not desirable to have the lights stay on all night, as this results in increased power usage and attendant costs.
Previous types of outdoor lighting controllers utilized a photocell to turn the lights on and off. As evening approached, the light falling on the photocell decreased. When the photocell sensed a certain level of dimness, the lights were turned on. The lights remained on until the photocell sensed that the amount of light falling on the photocell had reached a certain brightness. This type of controller had the limitations of keeping the lights on all night and not allowing the user to turn the lights on at any given time. The present invention overcomes these limitations by allowing the user to turn the lights on at any desired time and specify the amount of the time that the lights will remain lit.